Qatar seeks Kuwaiti mediation after major Arab League states cut ties

Qatar is seeking Kuwaiti mediation after powerful Arab League nations, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, cut ties with Doha, accusing the country of supporting terrorism.

Read more

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani postponed an address to his country on the recent crisis on Tuesday in order to give Kuwait time to mediate in the ongoing crisis, Qatar’s foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told Doha-based Al Jazeera. Kuwait still maintains ties with Qatar.

Sheikh Tamim spoke to his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and said the country was ready for mediation efforts, Foreign Ministry announced.

“He [Sheikh Tamim] received a call from the emir of Kuwait asking him to postpone it in order to give time to solve the crisis,” the ministry added.

Sheikh Tamim “regards him as a parent and respects his desire to postpone any speech or step until there is a clearer picture of the crisis,” Reuters cited the full Al Jazeera interview with the foreign minister.

Qatar “believes such differences between sister countries must be resolved through dialogue”, Sheikh Mohammed added.

READ MORE: Key Arab League states cut ties with Qatar over ‘supporting terrorism’ LIVE UPDATES

On Monday Kuna news agency, an official state news service based in Kuwait, confirmed the phone call between the two leaders. Kuwaiti emir reportedly urged his counterpart “to exercise self-restraint and refrain from steps that would escalate the situation,” the agency reported.

Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah “hoped Sheikh Tamim would give a chance to efforts aimed at containing tension in brotherly relations among brothers” and “reiterated importance of bolstering common Gulf action to serve the interests of the GCC countries,” the agency reported.

READ MORE: Qataris rush to stock up on food ahead of price hike as only land border shut

The diplomatic row between Qatar and Arab League countries started on Monday when Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Yemen subsequently announced cutting diplomatic ties with the state, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Riyadh also accused Qatar of collaborating with Iran-backed militias.

Qatar has called the move a “campaign of incitement” which is “based on lies.”

The decision came just weeks after comments published by the website of Qatar’s state-run QNA news agency – allegedly from Qatar’s ruling Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani – featured negative remarks about Saudi Arabia.

Doha, however, claims that hackers took over the media outlet’s website and published the comments, which it says was fakes.